Asa Akira Porn Star Biography

A superstar in the adult industry with many mainstream crossover ventures, Asa Akira is a celebrity in her own right. In addition to her successful career as an adult performer/director, Akira has written and published 2 books - Insatiable: Porn, A Love Story and Dirty Thirty: A Memoir. Akira has also hosted numerous podcasts, appeared on radio programs, made cameos on television shows, and starred in numerous online video series.

Early Life

Born in Manhattan, Asa Akira moved to Tokyo when she was nine after her father relocated for work; though she returned at age 13, moving to Brooklyn (and later, Clinton Hill). She attended the United Nations International School via scholarship, as her grandfather spent 45 years as a Japanese diplomat. For her sophmore year, she enrolled in Washington Irving High School, later transferring to the City As School. At 19, she began working as a dominatrix and then as a stripper at the Hustler Club, until becoming the "Show Whore" on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show-where she met Gina Lynn, who offered her porn work.

Career

After performing several scenes with Gina Lynn Productions, Asa became a freelancer six months after a short contract with Voyeur Media. Since then, she has worked with top studios like Hustler Video, Adam & Eve, and Zero Tolerance; and, in fact, has even signed an exclusive contract with Wicked Pictures (debuting in Asa is Wicked in 2013). This same year, she also made her directorial debut with Elegant Angel in Gangbanged 6.

Mainstream Appeal

Asa Akira made a cameo appearance in the 2012 independent film Starlet. Often the subject of listicles, Akira has appeared in CNBC's annual "Dirty Dozen" list of top porn stars for 2012, 2013, and 2014, as well as Complex magazine's "Top 100 Hottest Porn Stars Right Now," and "Top 50 Hottest Asian Porn Stars of All Time." LA Weekly listed Akira among the "10 Innovative Porn Stars Who Could Be the Next Sasha Grey." In 2013, Akira and artist friend David Choe started a popular podcast called DVDASA, discussing sexuality, career, and relationships. In January 2014, Akira was featured in a Cosmopolitan magazine article, "4 Porn Stars on How They Stay Fit." In May 2014, Akira's memoir Insatiable: Porn, A Love Story was released by Grove Press, followed up by her second book Dirty Thirty: A Memoir which was published in fall 2016 by Cleis Press. In October 2017, Akira made a cameo appearance on the popular cartoon sitcom Family Guy.